helping seniors live well in later life

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Tag: Decluttering

  • This week’s blog is written by Associated Property Services.

    This week’s blog is written by Associated Property Services.

    A clean, well-presented home makes a lasting impression, whether it’s for a property viewing, a new tenant, or your own family’s comfort.   As it is coming up to the busy Festive Season, here are some practical cleaning tips to keep you as sparkling as your tree!  

    The holidays are full of joy; however, they also bring extra guests, decorations, food, and, let’s face it, some mess. A bit of planning can help you stay on top of it without feeling overwhelmed. 

    Festive Cleaning Tips: 

    • Declutter Before Decorating: 
      Make space for decorations and gifts by clearing surfaces and storing away unnecessary items. 
    • Create a ‘Guest Ready’ Zone (this varies on the space you have in your home): 
      Keep a basket or hooks by the entrance for shoes, coats and bags, to avoid hallway clutter. 
    • Kitchen Organisation (the family can get involved in this one): 
    • Prep and clean as you cook 
    • Empty bins regularly to avoid odours 
    • Line trays and surfaces with baking paper or mats to make post-meal clean-up faster 
    • Daily Tidy Routine: 
      A quick 10-minute evening clean-up helps keep the home feeling fresh, even during busy hosting days. 
    • Protect Your Home: 
      Use coasters, table runners and floor mats, to minimise spills and damage from festive celebrations. 

    Pro Tip: Schedule a pre-Christmas deep clean and a post-holiday reset. This makes entertaining less stressful and helps the new year start on a fresh note. 

    About APS Cleaning Services 

    At APS Cleaning Services, we’re proud to be a family-run business based in South London, built on trust, reliability, and personal service. For the past five years, our reputation has grown through recommendations, referrals, and word of mouth, a true reflection of the care we put into every clean. 

    We believe that great cleaning starts with clear communication and a friendly approach. That’s why we provide a detailed end-of-tenancy cleaning checklist, giving you peace of mind that nothing is missed. And if something doesn’t go exactly to plan – whether a cleaner is running a little late or we notice an issue at the property – we’ll always be open and transparent with you. 

    Our services include: 

    • End-oftenancy cleaning 
    • One-off deep cleans 
    • Pre-Christmas deep cleans & post-holiday resets or parties 
    • Carpet cleaning 
    • Window cleaning 

    Whether you’re preparing a property for new tenants or getting your home sparkling for the festive season, our team is here to make the process smooth, stress-free, and reliable. Give our team a call on 07565 455836 or email us at info@associatedpropertyservices.com 

    Let’s get your property looking its best. APS does not cut corners, we clean them! 

  • Changing locks at your home

    Changing locks at your home

    Did you know, it’s not an insurance requirement to change the locks on your home when you move.   But think about it.  If you are buying a home, how many other people have had keys?  Will they have returned them to the previous owner to pass on to you?   
     
    Looking at the number of times I declutter houses that have keys for other properties, I know there are plenty of keys hanging around in the wrong places!  They may belong to neighbours, cleaners, former cleaners, other tradespeople.  They probably didn’t keep them on purpose, but you never know! 

    Changing the locks may be an extra cost when you’re already spending money, but for peace of mind and security, it is an invaluable thing to do, whether your insurance company requires it or not.  

  • Your home move survival kit

    Your home move survival kit

    When you move home, there are some things you are going to need, or will need to think about knowing where they are.  Here’s our list: 

    • Items you need from the kitchen the night before your move, during the day of the move and as you arrive, should be packed last so they are off the lorry first.  They are:  kettle, coffee, tea, a couple of plates, glasses and mugs and cutlery.   
    • Kitchen roll 
    • Sponges / cloths / wipes 
    • Bin bags  
    • Measuring tape 
    • Craft knife (to slit open boxes when unpacking) 
    • Medication 
    • Chargers and cables 
    • A suitcase of clothes (we recommend for several days, if not a week, until you are sure you know where everything is!) 
    • An indoor arial – until you can get your broadband / normal home TV arial working.  

    Good luck with your move! 

  • The worst part of a home move

    The worst part of a home move

    For me, in my past life as a serial renter, it was always the ‘not knowing’ where I would live next.  You are given notice on your flat, or you give notice (for whatever reason) and you have a date to leave, but you don’t necessarily have somewhere to go to.  That was always stressful.   

    Last month, we helped someone who moved out of her property to have it refurbished, and she lived temporarily in rented accommodation.  We decluttered before she left, but because she was returning, she knew there was space for all the possessions that had come out. The incentive to fully declutter, therefore, was not really there.  All my clients take more than they should when downsizing as until you experience with your own eyes, all your possessions coming out of the multitude of boxes, it is hard to envisage just how much you have.   In this case, the number of boxes, even with help to unpack, has almost broken her.   

    For other clients, the worst part is the solicitors and estate agents, and all the questions; you’ve lived there a long time and you know the house is fine – why can’t your buyer see that?  Their solicitor has a duty to make sure that it ticks all the boxes for current regulations and that they are not opening a can of worms down the line.  

    In some cases, it can be the thought of ‘starting again’, especially in later life.   The happy home you had with all those lovely memories is gone.  But it is a chance to start afresh and enjoy your new place.  Take things with you that remind you of those good times, but remember that your move is happening to help you live a safe and happy life as you age, and new fun memories will be created there too.  

    Whatever your concerns with your home move, we can help support you through it and take away all the practical worries – and hopefully many of the emotional ones too! 

  • Organising travel items

    Organising travel items

    Tempting as it often is to keep travel plugs and adapters with other electricals, or holiday toiletries with other toiletries, there are mountains of these things, as well as clothing, that you ONLY or mostly only use for holiday.  It makes sense to have a dedicated draw or box for travel items.  In here you can have foreign money, adaptors, holiday toiletries, bikinis and other holiday clothing, toiletry bags, pouches for separating items (like cables, underwear), shoe bags, medication you only use for holiday, and other things that make sense to you (suitcase padlock, fold up cushion, travel pillows, beach bags, you name it).  Storing these things together means that you aren’t scrabbling around in a million different places when you are packing for holiday.    When you come back from this summer’s trip, make it the time when you rearrange your travel storage.  You can even keep it near a suitcase, if that’s an accessible place for you.   After rearranging and organising, you may find yourself with a surfeit of toiletry bags or pouches and you can use these to organise other toiletries in your bathroom – things you use but don’t need to access all the time.  

    Knowing where everything is means you won’t be buying duplicates and then clogging up storage in your home, only to find it all later.    

    We recently helped a lady who got rid of a lot of toiletry bags, but we used some for other storage – she just didn’t realise how many she had.  

    We do hope you enjoy your next holiday! 

  • The ‘put me away’ basket

    The ‘put me away’ basket

    Mess, clutter, untidiness, disarray, muddle, jumble – whatever you call it, some people live well in this environment and some people don’t.  If you’re like me, you can tolerate a bit of untidiness at home, and more so if it’s your own, but if it is someone else’s that you live with, it’s much harder.   I do prefer things neat and tidy, but I am also someone with a full life, so it’s not always easy to put things away immediately – especially if I know I’ll soon need them again, or if I want to be reminded to take the item somewhere with me.  
     
    Different things work for different people on how to manage this, but once upon a time I lived with someone who was very tidy and didn’t like ANY clutter.  Compromise and communication are the key to a functioning relationship and we agreed that I could have a ‘put me away’ basket.  If he found something of mine in a place it shouldn’t be, he could put it in the basket.  That way, I would know that if it wasn’t where I left it, it would be in the basket.   It worked because anything in the basket was deemed as ‘tidy’, and I wasn’t hunting for things that had disappeared from where I left them.   
     
    This could definitely work for teenagers too, and perhaps help many arguments.  It probably won’t help with the ‘where’s my phone’ or ‘I’ve lost my keys’ exclamations though! 

    (pic from ninahendrick)

  • One in, one out!

    One in, one out!

    No one has an infinite amount of space in their home.  And most people tend to acquire ‘stuff’, given that we live more and more in the age of consumerism.  It takes a strong will not to keep accumulating possessions.   Space to live in is more expensive than it’s ever been, so it is a good idea to have a strategy to ensure you don’t become too cluttered.  First you probably need to have a really good clear out.  But after that, how do you stay streamlined and uncluttered? 
     
    One line of thought which is easy to follow is one in and one out.  So this basically means, if you break a cup or give one away you can buy a new one.  If you buy a new book you need to give one away.  Same for cosmetics, shoes, handbags, clothes, stationery, other crockery, toys, tennis rackets, golf clubs – whatever it is that is your thing – if you buy a new one, you need to give one away.  Everything needs to be part of the ‘one in, one out’ philosophy.  

    Are you going to be brave and try it?  If you do, come back and let us know how you get on! 

  • Giving something away day

    Giving something away day

    The 15th July is ‘national give something away day’ in the US.  Well, of course, this is something we approve of, even if it is not ‘observed’ in the UK.  We are always encouraging clients to give away items to charity, on social media or to food banks.  

    What you give, might not be a ‘thing’.  It might be your time or your skills.  And the idea is that you do not expect anything in return.    So have a think about where you could volunteer, or what skills you have that you can share.  Maybe it would be helping a friend with something they are struggling with. 

    Have a think.  And let us know what you do.  

  • Who are we?  

    Who are we?  

    It’s quite difficult for people to know what we are and what we do, but we have years of experience in supporting people.  We are all of the following things for our clients: 

    • A PA  – thinking and planning all of the paperwork. 
    • A bookkeeper – guiding on financial queries, and we are registered with HMRC for this. 
    • A project manager – thinking, planning and strategy is a big part of what we do. 
    • A cleaner – we are often asked to help clear things up and decluttering is a dirty job.  We regularly clean out cupboards in new properties on the day of a move where the people leaving haven’t left it in a nice state.   And when we empty a storage unit, we usually take a vacuum cleaner with us. 
    • A handyman – we are not afraid of a flat pack (putting together or taking apart), or a screwdriver – even an electric one.    
    • A counsellor or therapist – talking things through is important and finding out why possessions are so loved and the stories behind them. 
    • A life coach – moving home is stressful and guidance, support and encouragement are necessary every step of the way. 
    • A solicitor – we don’t do any legal work, but we advise on many things that people need in this area and introduce them to solicitors to do the work. 

    If you need a fairy godmother, a moving home project manager, a declutterer or a later life adviser, we are those and all of the above.  Give us a call and we’ll happily talk to you about how we help.  

  • Is It Okay If I Look In Your Knicker Drawer?

    Is It Okay If I Look In Your Knicker Drawer?

    Decluttering, organising and supporting clients with downsizing means they share a lot of personal information with me.  It’s important that we have a mutual respect and trust to get the most out of every session.   During our time together I find out a lot about clients and their families and friends and how they live their lives, and I often see very personal things.    

    I ALWAYS ask if we can look in drawers and cupboards before we do, and we NEVER take it for granted that clients want us to see everything in their home.   Your home is your sanctuary and a private place for you and your family and loved ones.   What we see in your home, stays between us.  What you tell us, stays between us.   We treat you as we would wish to be treated.    

    So if you thought you were going to read some scandalous things we’ve seen and heard, then you will leave this post disappointed, as we won’t be divulging or sharing anything.